On January 22, 2000, my sister, Joy Dyer, tried to pay for a purchase at a department store in Bryan, Texas in her usual way. But for some strange reason, she could not make her hand write out a check. That was the first sign that something sinister was attacking her body. One week later we were told that Joy had a “high grade glioblastoma.” The doctors said that there was no medical hope that she could be cured and that Joy probably had six months to a year to live. That news rocked our family. On January 28, 2021—almost one year later to the day—cancer took Joy’s life.
The letters in this book were born out of a deep love for Joy and Dean by friends and family. We desired to walk with them through this hard journey and support them however we could. My hope is that these letters, originally written to support my sister through her suffering, will provide some comfort and encouragement to other fellow-sufferers who are walking a hard path.
This little book is meant to be used as a daily devotional guide throughout the Christmas season. It is broken into five sections of five devotions. Each section focuses on one passage of Scripture that is considered verse-by-verse. The book is designed for use as a personal or family devotion tool. Each individual study has some questions to help apply the passage and each section has a text to commit to memory. As a bonus, there are several original Christmas poems in this work from my dear friend, Dr. Tom Nettles that I am sure will be an encouragement to you.
As the Darkness Clears Away is a lyric from the old hymn Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence. It is my hope that this guide will be a helpful reminder this Christmas season that Jesus, the light of the world and giver of life, came and defeated death and darkness. It is through the life, death, and resurrection of our incarnate God that we can sing “That the pow'rs of hell may vanish, as the darkness clears away.”
